On a scale of good vs. bad news, Terry Collins' confirmation that Travis d'Arnaud will not require foot surgery qualifies as "better." D'Arnaud, the highly regarded catching prospect obtained in the R.A. Dickey trade with Toronto, fractured a bone in his left foot during a minor-league game Wednesday.

"He's in a boot," Collins said before 's game against the Nationals. "They want him to do as little as possible for a while, let the mending start."

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D'Arnaud, who lost half of last season when he partially tore a knee ligament June 25, could miss eight weeks before returning to action, according to Collins' ballpark estimate.

D'Arnaud was catching for the Mets' Triple-A Las Vegas club when he was struck by a foul ball that caused a non-displaced fracture of the first metatarsal, the bone in the middle of the foot. In 49 plate appearances, he hit .250 with one home run and eight RBIs.

Collins is not ready to give up on his bullpen just because the relievers allowed 22 hits and 18 runs (16 earned) in 11 innings during the unpleasant series in Colorado, where the temperature dipped below freezing and the Mets were beaten in all three games. "When we were going to Colorado," Collins said, "our bullpen's ERA was about 2.4. So I'm going to chalk it up to the conditions and go from there."

Righthander Shaun Marcum, who began the season on the disabled list, continued to progress in his recovery from nerve pain in his neck and shoulder during four innings of work at the team's Port St. Lucie camp. "He pitched very well," Collins said. "He felt great. We're very excited."